1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for automatically cutting desired parts from cutting material in accordance with differently shaped standard patterns or templates. Such standard patterns may be placed prior to cutting on the cutting material, which may be spread on the work table of a coordinate cutting machine having a cutting tool which is movable according to two coordinates.
2. Description of Related Art
An apparatus for automatically cutting parts of goods from a flat textile material is known from Federal Republic of Germany Provisional Patent AS No. 22 65 123. In this apparatus, a turntable scanning device which controls the cutting tool of a coordinate cutting machine optically scans the contour of a standard pattern, the standard pattern being placed on the spread-out cutting material before the cutting process. A disadvantage of this apparatus is that scanning of a contour that may have any desired shape is time-consuming, and there are limits on the reproducibility of the contour if incisions directed transverse to the course of the contour are present.
Also known is a photoelectric scanning device for controlling a coordinate cutting machine, which can be braked in front of the points of change of direction of the cutting-pattern. This device, disclosed in Federal Republic of Germany Provisional Patent AS No. 23 25 389, is suitable for a coordinate cutting machine which operates with a high speed of travel. Since, in this prior cutting machine as well, the contour of the cutting pattern must be scanned prior to cutting, which requires a great deal of time, the cutting system is inefficient. Incisions directed transverse to the course of the contour cannot be precisely detected by this scanning device either, so that the degree of reproducibility is reduced.